


Safety Net

by should_i_say_it_like_a_spy



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Tumblr Ask Box Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 05:25:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14784356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/should_i_say_it_like_a_spy/pseuds/should_i_say_it_like_a_spy
Summary: "I'm so afraid, Theron...but you--you make me feel safe."





	Safety Net

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the tumblr prompt "you make me feel safe."

The heat of the jungle was oppressive, even this late at night. It was an odd contrast to the feel of the Force that threatened to overwhelm her at every moment, the darkness that pressed against the edges of her senses; it was cold and slick, sliding in sickly reds and purples through the animals and plants, even the earth itself. Yavin 4 was a world so infected by the Dark Side that Safiya couldn't believe it had once been cleansed by the Jedi Order.

If it was just darkness, she probably would have been okay, but there was something else that lurked around every corner, in the caves and temples and ruins that littered the moon: Vitiate’s presence was as palpable as the constant storms gathered on the horizon, heralding the arrival of the rainy season, but the specter of the Sith Emperor could signal nothing so innocuous. Safi didn't know if her awareness was simply due to years of his influence upon the area or if Revan was closer to resurrecting Vitiate than they had initially thought, but either way, the feeling of that icy rage building around her every moment left her off balance and unsettled, to say the least.

The nightmares had gotten so bad that Safi was barely sleeping at all, and she knew it was beginning to show--dark circles framed her eyes, her skin was even paler than normal, and just that morning, Doc had asked if she needed an adrenal before meeting with the Coalition forces. Safi knew that something had to change before she became so exhausted and unfocused that she made a serious mistake.

Which was why she currently found herself enduring the hot, humid jungle air in the middle of the night as she furtively made her way across the Republic camp to a ship not her own. Every time she woke in the night, tangled in sweat-soaked sheets with tears coursing down her cheeks, there was only one thought that even came close to comforting her, and she could no longer justify sitting and longing when the object of her thoughts was so close at hand.

Her knuckles against the shuttle door seemed unnaturally loud against the quiet backdrop of animal and insect noises, and Safi jerked at the sound, turning her head to see if anyone was watching. She reminded herself that she wasn’t doing anything wrong, but she still twisted her hands together anxiously as she waited for an answer. 

The door slid open after only a few moments, and Safi was filled with an acute sense of relief as the familiar form of Theron Shan came into view. He stood in bare feet and no shirt, a datapad in one hand and a blaster in the other, with, she noticed with a distant sort of amusement, his hair as perfect as always. When he saw who was on the other side of the door, he lowered the blaster and smiled. 

“Hey,” he said simply, but his smile quickly faded to be replaced with a look of concern as he noted her appearance. “You look like hell. Come in.” Theron stepped back to allow Safi room to pass, and for a moment she hesitated, wondering if this was such a good idea after all. But the warmth of Theron’s gaze, combined with the near-intoxicating feeling of his presence in the Force, pulled her through the door, following him into the main part of his shuttle. 

The shuttle was small, divided only into the cockpit, fresher, and one main room, where they stood. A narrow bed took up one wall, and in the opposite corner was a small couch with a table. A holocom and two storage lockers were the only other furnishings. She watched as he set the blaster and the datapad down on the table before he returned to her. Standing in front of her, he reached out and lightly brushed his thumb across the dark half-moon beneath her eye. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his eyes travelling over her form, searching for any signs of injury or distress he might have missed. Without the strip of gold metal that usually covered her eyes, he could see that she looked exhausted, but other than that, he didn’t find anything amiss.

“I--” Safi started, then broke off, unsure of how to continue. She had never spoken to anyone about the memories that haunted her dreams, not even Kira, who had helped her through the aftermath more than anyone else. On Rishi, Master Orgus had pronounced her strong enough to face her memories, and she had done it, though it had been difficult. But here, with the past seeming to come alive around her, they were much harder to bear, and speaking them aloud seemed almost impossible. 

Theron must have sensed her uncertainty; his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her to his chest, and she gratefully buried her face against him, winding her own arms around his neck. They stayed that way for several moments, Safi drawing strength from his embrace. Finally, she began to speak.

“When I defeated the Emperor, it was the second time I faced him. The first time didn’t...it didn’t go as well.” Quietly, brokenly, she told the story of her imprisonment, the terrible things Vitiate had both done to her and used her to do, the months of brokenness and flashbacks and nightmares. With every word, she expected to feel Theron pull away, but throughout the entire tale his embrace never wavered. 

When at last she finished, she took a shaky breath, face still hidden, and said, “The nightmares have been worse since we came to Yavin. I’m so afraid, Theron--afraid we won’t stop Revan in time, afraid if Vitiate comes back I won’t be strong enough to face him again.” The tears that had threatened for her entire narrative finally spilled from her eyes, pooling between their bodies as she continued. “But you--you make me feel safe.” 

Theron lifted a hand from the small of her back to smooth it over her hair, his touch gentle and calming. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met, Safi,” he said quietly, his voice low and warm. “If the Emperor does come back, I know you would beat him again. But…” His hand slid to underneath her chin, lifted her head so he could look her in the eye. “I promise that I’ll be with you every step of the way, no matter what happens. Alright?”

Safi nodded shakily, swiping her tears away with the back of her hand. Already she felt lighter, less hunted, as though Theron’s presence acted as a shield between herself and the ever-present darkness swirling around her. “Alright. I’m sorry I broke down on you--”

He cut her off. “Don’t apologize.” A mischievous smile danced on his lips as he said, “I like you showing up in the middle of the night.” His fingers ghosted down her spine, sending shivers through her body as he brought his lips to her ear, pressing a kiss just behind it before asking, “Why don’t you stay here tonight? I think I have a few ideas to distract you from those memories…”

She couldn’t keep the smile from her voice when she answered. “I don’t know...what did you have in mind?”

Theron pulled back, met her eyes once more, and the heat in his gaze drove any remaining thoughts of Vitiate far from her mind. 

“Let me show you,” he murmured, drawing her to the bed, Safi following with no resistance. They didn’t need to speak again for quite some time. 

Later, in the last hours before dawn, Theron lay on his side, his head propped on one hand while the other lightly stroked across Safi’s bare shoulder and down her arm. What was it about this woman that evoked such strong emotions inside him? He had never been good at letting other people in, at letting them close enough for him to develop any real connection with them, but Safi had managed to sneak past all of his defenses and embed herself firmly in his life--and, perhaps most surprisingly of all, he wasn’t even resentful. He was...happy. Even as he was overcome with anger and sorrow as she told him about her past, he couldn’t stop the racing of his heart when he heard her mutter, “You make me feel safe.”

In her sleep, Safi shifted against him and whimpered uneasily. Not ungrateful for the distraction from thoughts that veered into uncomfortable territory, Theron slid down behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tighter against his chest. 

“Shh. I’m here,” he whispered, and she quieted almost immediately. 

It was late, he mused as he settled himself next to her, and he was tired. It was making him overly sentimental, that was all. He just needed sleep.

His last thought before he drifted into oblivion was that, whatever it meant, he really liked being her safety net.


End file.
